Primary metals, including steel, saw orders decrease by 0.5% for the second month in a row.

Shipments, a good barometer of current demand, fell by 0.5% in February, marking the sixth consecutive decrease.

Industrial machinery had the largest decrease with shipments falling 4.7%, the biggest drop since July 1986.

The weakness was led by slackened demand for computers and office equipment.

However, one bright spot in the report was orders for electronics and electrical equipment, including household appliances and communications equipment, which rose 5% in February, after a 8.6% drop the month before.